Wartime is upon Lemuria
by Jenova-chan
Summary: Piers left New Vale 3 years ago, and Felix have been depressed ever since. So when Piers appears on his doorstep, wounded and hunted by his own kin, both he and Felix must figure out their feelings while the whole group travels to Lemuria to save the King
1. Hunted

Greetings again! This story takes place AFTER the whole Golden Sun ordeal, and it might be (or it probably is) OOC to some extent. If this doesn't fit _exactly to the point_ of the main story of Golden Sun, just use your imagination. It's a fanfic after all, not the real deal.

The main pairing is FelixPiers, but JennaxGaret and IsaacxMia is present in this too. For those of you who like these pairings, don't get your hopes up because they're not doing anything major in this story.

This is boyxboy (FelixPiers) pairing and if you don't like it, I have no idea why you're reading this.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun or anything of the sort. **

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"-lix please open up!"

Hushed whispers floated into his newly awoken mind. He knew that voice… maybe it was just a dream again. He yawned and turned around to get more comfortable and tried to let sleep claim him again. However, something kept him at the edge of warm darkness, something nagging him, a noise that kept on disturbing him. What in Weyard was that? Couldn't he get a decent sleep around here?

"Please Felix! Open up, open up, I beg you!" The voice sounded distressed, desperate and strained. "Open the door!"

The sound kept on repeating itself, annoying the previously asleep male to the point that he gave up all thoughts of going back to dreamland. Felix knew that he should be able to put a face to the voice, something he did in the blink of an eye. Piers.

"Felix! For God's sake, open the door! Please!" The whispering voice, Piers voice, sounded close to tears. The other sound, Felix now recognized it to be knockings on his own door, came in rapid intervals between half-chocked sobs.

There was nothing to think about really. If someone or something had made the Lemurian _this _upset, there was no way that that someone or something could be good. For any of them. Hell, the whole world should be warned!

Felix had _never _seen the blue-haired warrior as much as even flinch from anything. No battle could be too gory or bloody, no monster could be too abhorrent, he just stood there and looked calm, wiped the blood off his blade when he was done in the grass and continued like nothing had happened. Felix was good at staying calm and decisive, it took much to shake his foundations, but he had to silently admit to himself that even he could feel a little…queasy when looking at the carnage he and his traveling companions left behind.

He rushed down the wooden stairs, stumbling over his own boots in the dark as he directly entered the hallway, and quickly opened the door.

A startled yelp was his only warning as a slightly wet body fell into his chest, two hands clung to his shirt for dear life and a mane of tousled blue hair clouded his vision momentarily.

"Piers?" He asked hesitantly, not moving an inch for fear of making the other collapse right there on the floor. "Are you…alright?"

As quickly as the body had pressed itself into him, as quickly did it jerk back, leaving him staring at a heavily panting and very dirty Water Adept. The usually bright blue clothing was torn and caked with mud and something else that Felix couldn't identify. As he took in the scene, he noticed the thin sheen of sweat covering the tanned body, mixing with a darker liquid that he recognized as blood. "What happened to you?"

The Lemurian didn't answer right away, but squeezed past Felix shocked form into the house. "You have to close the door Felix! Close it and lock it, hurry!" He drew back even further into the house, shadows almost covering him. "I can still sense them! They'll come here! Felix, please hurry!"

The Venus Adept scanned the area visible from his position by the doorframe, but the night was pitch-black. The moon was up somewhere, he knew that much, but it was covered by thick grey clouds. He closed the door and turned to Piers, wanting to get at least one of the million questions that buzzed around in his head answered.

"Piers, what is-" He cut himself off as he saw the wound running from Piers navel around his side, disappearing somewhere on his lower back, still gushing blood. He leant forward and grabbed Piers disturbingly cold wrist and pulled him upstairs.

He lived in a small house; the stairs went directly from his hallway to his bedroom and well up, he gently placed the still somewhat panting Water Adept in the middle of the room. He begun to search his crammed bookshelves after some band-aids and some salve to put on the wound, throwing all the non-useable things on the floor.

Nodding approvingly as he found the wanted items, he went over to the other male and awkwardly started to ease the torn clothes of his shoulders to get access to the damaged skin underneath. Almost instantly, as his fingers touched the Mercury Adept, he feel the others muscles tense and shiver and he looked down (had he really grown that much over the three years that had passed?) at the wide golden eyes. They had a haunted look to them, one that didn't suit them at all, and Felix had to restrain himself from hugging the slightly smaller man. Instead he got to his knees and began to hastily dress the wound, which was quite deep and clearly infected by the dirt and mud that'd rubbed into it. He'd have Mia to heal it later in the morning, for now this was the best thing to do. A Cure spell would only close the gash it as it was, leaving the infection to spread.

Hands pushing weakly at his chest made him stop and rise from his position on the floor.

"Stop…we don't have time. They're coming, they're close!" A chocked sob broke the sentence, and Piers frantically turned his head towards the sole window that adorned the wall opposite to the door. Though the night was dark before, orange light had slowly begun to creep closer, the flickering and changing nuance told Felix that it was a torch coming closer to his house, not the sunrise. "They're here! I have to hide!" The Water Adept turned to look at Felix again. "Let me stay here, please! I will never ask for anything again, just hide me from them and don't tell them anything! I'm begging you Felix!" His voice was still oddly hushed.

A loud banging was heard from downstairs, and Piers eyes widened with uncontrolled horror. Felix looked at the door leading down to the hallway and then looked at the shaking body in his room.

He came to a quick decision and pulled Piers over to his bed and pushed him down on his knees. He tried to make his voice sound something akin to assuring and calming as he told the Lemurian to crawl in under the bed and hide in the space closest to the wall. To Felix surprise, his friend did so without as much as a quirked eyebrow, he silently obeyed every move the Earth Adept wanted him to make. It bothered Felix more than he let on, he didn't like the sudden change in character at all. He and Piers used to bicker and argue like a wedded couple, and to his irritation, Piers was probably the only one who could outwit Felix in the span of a few seconds. Standing back, he surveyed his dark room. With a little luck, he hoped no one would find his comrade.

He walked down the stairs, the heavy pounding on his thick wooden door continued. He heard shouts from the village, not high enough to alarm him but something was definitely wrong.

Before opening the door, he lit a candle and did his best to hide his anxiousness and confusion and tried to look as sleepy as possible. Bracing himself for what would stand on the other side of the wooden barrier, he poised his hand on the handle before pushing it down completely.

"What?" He asked angrily, holding up his small wax candle. What stood in the darkness, now shrouded in dancing shadows and wavering light, shocked him to the extent that he drew a quick breath and took a step backwards.

"We're searching for Piers! We know he came this way, so tell us where he is!" The Lemurian soldier outside, it could not be anything else but Lemurian with those clothes and that hair, barked in his face. He pushed forward, as if trying to get in.

Felix immediately held his ground, glaring suspiciously at the rest of the group; two men and one female who carried the torch, all clad in an oddly bright metal armor. He shot a look at the obvious leader who was attempting to push past him into the house. "He's not here. I suggest you go elsewhere." He faked a yawn. "I've been asleep all night, he hasn't come here."

The captain stared at him with narrowed eyes that almost were the same color as Piers' own. But no, Felix concluded in the back of his mind, the soldiers' eyes were browner, more hazel than golden. He stopped that train of thought as the captain snorted and turned to face one of the men, the one who looked slightly older than the others. "Can you feel him still? Tell me if he's here!" He roughly grabbed the torch from the woman and held it up to illuminate Felix front porch.

"You're wasting your time. I can assure you that I've slept the whole night, until you so rudely woke me. What business do you have with Piers?" The Venus Adept said icily, looking over to see other lights wavering in the dark shadows around the neighboring houses. "What are Lemurians doing in New Vale this time at night?"

"His energy is here somewhere, or it could be that he's recently been here and left before we got here. It's waning; if he's still running he won't get very far." The older man spoke up in an eerie, hollow voice. His face was sunken in and in the dancing light of the fire, it looked like his eye sockets were empty. His blue hair was a pale shade of corn blue, thin and stripy. He held a power, Felix could easily tell that, one that was far greater than the two others or even their leaders.

"Let me in, now! It's an order!" The leader growled at Felix who still blocked the sole path into the residence.

Felix mind worked on overdrive, quickly coming to terms that, whoever they were and whatever reasons they had for wanting to find Piers, he would want to hear the version of the story from Piers own mouth. Not with the soldiers breathing down their necks.

A woman's shouts distracted him momentarily, and he glanced beyond the small group to see what happened. The voice had been Mia's. He stiffened slightly at the sight of a silently fuming Isaac standing beside his wife Mia, three soldiers walking out of their home. They were _searching the houses._

"I do not take orders from you." The Earth Adept said, voice dripping with venom. His brain continued to work something out. The longer he held these people at the door, the more sure would they be that he kept something from them. He tried to keep calm and composed as he shrugged. "But if it will lead to you leaving me alone, so be it." He stepped aside to let them in.

He held his breath as the four soldiers rushed past him, only to have the younger male stop in the hallway with him. Felix squinted at his face in the poor lighting, and knew that he'd seen that face somewhere before. The other seemed to realize he was stared at and turned to face Felix, a small sad smile at the corner of his lips. "You recognize me? I was one of the guards that wouldn't let you enter the palace in Lemuria. You are Felix, the Venus Adept right?"

Felix nodded mutely, not really feeling like chatting. He spun around at a sudden banging noise coming from his kitchen, and he decided to comment anyway. "If you break something…" He trailed off, leaving the '_I will kill you' _hanging in the air between them.

The stood in silence for a while, whilst the others searched the bottom floor thoroughly. The captain stomped out in the hall again, looking almost murderous. "He's not down here." He pointed to the stairs. "What's up there?"

"My room." Felix said, in what he hoped would be a nonchalant tone. His mind was screaming for them to stop, because if they went up there…they would find Piers. They wouldn't leave such an obvious hiding-place unsearched.

Before he could come up with anything to say to stop them, they'd already raced up, leaving him alone with the young (he didn't look a day over 20) Lemurian yet again. He cursed silently and shifted to get into a better position. If they wanted Piers, his friends would fight them for him.

"…He's here, isn't he?"

His head whipped around, locking his brown hard eyes with the others. "What?"

"You don't have to answer. I don't care, as long as we don't catch him. You're a Venus Adept right?" The man said in a low voice. He ignored Felix heated glare and growl. "I'm not on their team, but I won't ask you to trust me. If you want to protect your friend, just manipulate some branches outside or something. I'll do the rest."

He didn't have much choice. Focusing his energy quickly, he sent a thin, precise arrow of psynergy to run from tree to tree, shaking them slightly as he did so. "Done."

"CAPTAIN! I saw some movement!" The soldier yelled, winking to Felix. "Take care of him. He may be our only hope." He whispered to the confused Earth Adept before running out.

The rest of the small group ran down and out of the house, following the retreating figure into the night's shadows once again. Farther away, an order rung in the air and it was obvious that the whole group moved out.

Felix let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding, and turned to close the door but was once again stopped as he heard two pairs of footsteps jogging towards his small house. "You've already searched in here. Get lost!" He was beyond pissed now.

"Felix, it's just us." Isaac's voice calmed him somewhat. He held up the burning candle again to light the way for his friends. "What's going on Felix? Were those from Lemuria?"

Mia looked tired and concerned. "It's either that or Prox, because I know my own peoples armors, and those were not from Imil." Her hand was intertwined with Isaac's as they quickly walked the path up to Felix home. "We've already talked to Garet and Jenna, and they went to check on Sheba and Ivan at the inn."

Felix nodded. "Good. Piers is here, but something's wrong. Mia, I think he needs your help." He walked in, leaving the door open behind him to let the couple enter. His friends were used to his short tone and lone ways and it did not offend them as he begun to walk up the stairs to his room, only leaving the candle for Isaac.

"He's worried." Isaac said, taking the candle in his hand and walked in with Mia.

She nodded lightly, smiling knowingly. "He's been worried for the last three years. Since Piers went back, he's been behaving like a caged animal. Restless and depressed." She let Isaac take the lead with the light so that they would not fall over the steps up the spiral staircase. "I wonder if he thinks we haven't noticed."

Stepping into the room, Isaac took it upon himself to light the other candles and lamps in the spartanly decorated room to spread the soft orange glow, while Mia inspected the medical supplies lying scattered on the floor. "Is Piers here? Is he hurt?" She asked lifting her gaze to look at Felix hunched form by the bed. "Felix, what are you doing?"

The Venus Adept heard her but paid her no mind, as he gently bent down the side of the bed. "Piers, they're gone." He waited for an answer, but got none. "Piers? They're not here, its safe now." He cringed a little. It sounded like he talked to a frightened child.

But after a few seconds, without movement and without sound, he bent down further to check under the bed. Piers had to be there somewhere… "Piers?"

Isaac scurried over, squatting down next to him. "He's...under your bed?"

Felix glared at him behind dark russet bangs. "He had to hide somewhere, didn't he?" He sighted and bent down again, looking under the bed. "I can see him but…shit, he's not moving!" He immediately reached in under the bed and grabbed at the body lying there, catching a fist of fabric. "Isaac, help me drag him out."

With combined efforts, the both Earth Adepts succeeded pulling a shivering and sweating Lemurian out from underneath Felix unmade bed.

Mia was there immediately, her nimble and sure hands checking pulse and other signs. "He's got a high fever, probably caused by the wound infection. Could you put him on the bed please? Felix, get some wet towels and a basin of really hot water. The steam will clear his breathing some. Isaac, help me remove his clothes." She ordered, her experience as a healer kicking in.

Rushing down the stairs again, Felix absentmindedly regretted not taking some sort of light down with him as the bottom floor was as dark as the sky outside, but he didn't let it bother him. He couldn't think of anything else than his friend, his very good friend, lying upstairs in his bed, possibly dying from whatever illness his bad state had contracted.

He dashed into his small kitchen and begun to hastily prepare the things that Mia had requested, trying not to let the avalanche of thoughts distract him from the task at hand. Right now, Piers was the most important person in the world to him. _"He was before too ...oh, sweet Hades, don't start thinking about that at a time like this!" _He shook his head violently, jogging back upstairs with the wet towels.

Isaac had already stripped the unmoving body from its practically non-existent jacket, and was slowly peeling of the remains of the, once light blue, turtleneck top. It stuck to the sides of the wound, blood and some kind of mucus that bubbled around the gash clung to it, and as Isaac carefully pulled, the skin rose as it parted with the fabric and finally let go with a soft wet sound. "That's just disgusting… Mia, please say this isn't infectious?" He said with poorly masked nausea.

Mia looked over at her husbands face, trying to smile to cover her worry about the far gone state of the infection. "No…it doesn't seem like it. Could you help Felix with the basin?" She loved her partner very much but he wouldn't help the healing if he threw up all over the wound.

"Yes, that'd probably be a good idea, right Felix?" Isaac's question flew right past Felix, as all his attention was focused on the unconscious Mercury Adept on his bed. The skin was smudged with gray, slimy mud that made his tanned appearance take on an ashen shade. The now bare muscular chest rose and fell for every hollow breath he took, but it was at an uneven pace. For the last three lonely years he'd hoped for a happy reunion, knowing that three lousy years probably wasn't more then three months in Lemuria, and secretly whishing that Piers would grow tired of the ancient island and come back to New Vale. Come back to them – _come back to him._ This wasn't exactly the way he'd wanted it to be.

"Felix?"

The Earth Adepts slightly raised voice pulled him out of his stupor, and he nodded sharply to confirm that he'd heard. Not wasting more time, he went down to the kitchen again, this time his way was lit by a lamp held by Isaac. A large bowl stood in the corner by the door to the small pantry, and they filled it with boiling water and soon, steam collected on the surface, swirling lazily and creating peculiar patterns.

"How come he came here?" Isaac asked when they were about to bring the heavy container to Mia's aid. "Did he contact you?"

Felix shrugged. "No. I don't even know what's going on here. We'll ask him when he wakes up." They brought the water up.

Mia looked up from her work, this time smiling with relief. The wound had been properly cleaned and dressed and some color had returned to his face. "He's going to live. I transferred some psynergy, and he's already becoming stronger. I need some rest now though. Isaac, would you come with me home or will you stay here?" Her eyes held a mischievous spark.

Smiling at his wife's clever plan, Isaac shook his head. "I'll accompany you of course, if Felix doesn't need my assistance further. Just come by if you need any help, alright?" He should've known his spouse would come up with something to get the Earth and Water Adept alone for a while.

Only grunting a response, Felix took a tentative step towards the bed and thoughtfully sat down on a chair beside it. He barely noticed that they left as he allowed himself to stare at Piers unconscious form, letting the nights events catch up to him. This had been…interesting. Confusing, worrying aside, he pretended not to acknowledge the slight stir of excitement in the pit of his stomach. It was wrong to feel like that, he knew that, but…honestly, had been bored for too long. Since Piers had left the New Vale he'd helped to rebuild to go back to Lemuria for political and personal reasons, Felix had sunken back in a slightly comatose state.

He felt at home in the house he'd built with the aid of his friends, especially since a certain blue haired Mercury Adept had stayed with him and helped him a lot, and the village was as good as new. But still…he didn't know if he lacked adventures, traveling and fighting or if he missed someone to share his life with. Not that he was much for all that romantic mushy-gushy stuff but even _he _could feel lonely sometimes. But as he looked at Piers…why did something flutter like butterflies in his stomach? Was all he really missed…Piers?

He snapped out of his thoughts as the figure on the bed groaned and shifted, turning his head to the side. Blue damp hair stuck to the sweaty forehead and in the light of the lamps they shone in bright turquoise and orange, catching his attention and mesmerizing him. He didn't even realize that he'd spaced out for a moment, and as he eventually _did _realize how tired he was, it was too late. He slumped forward, resting his head in his arms on the crumpled sheets of the bed next to Piers head where he felt the soft breaths swooshing in his hair ever so lightly. Not even thinking anymore, he reached out a hand and carefully stroked the soggy hair strands away, smiling gently as Piers sighted and leaned in to the touch.

Maybe…just _maybe_ this was the start of something different. Maybe this time, he'd get something _he _wanted, not what everyone else wanted. This time, he wouldn't let go of the Water Adept so easily.

He gradually felt his eyelids close and much needed sleep claimed him. _'I'll protect him…' _He felt the breaths against his forehead, and heard something akin to light snoring. _'I missed you…'_

Ummm...yeah so this was the start of it all. It got longer than I expected it to get, and I'm not sure _every _chapter will be this long. Don't excpect them to be anyway.

Their feelings (of Felix for this matter) got all mixed up and I hope it's not too confusing. God in heaven above what have I started...

Press the review button please, every writer wants reviews, it's good for their health. Doesn't matter if it's short or long, I want them anyway! Except the flamers, but I hope everyone got that.

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	2. Awakening

Oh, gosh... it took more time than I thought to upload this... even if I have had it ready for like a month. This story will be updated, sadly, with an uneven and somtimes slow pace. Not because I don't care, but because I want to make it right. But worry not, it shall be completed! ... just don't expect it to go like 'poof! done!'. I love all of you who have added me or this story to their favourites or alerts! Kudos to you!

**Sakura Li-chan:** Oh God, I brought you to tears?! I'm so sorry! XD But I guess that's my job ne? I hope you'l like this chapter just as much as the first one. Thanks!

**Lunar Asssassin13:** I recognize you! Thanks for reading this one too! Haha, I'm glad you like it, and of course I'm going to continue it! There's nothing I like more than hurting our dear Piers-chan, and he'll never see it coming! Thanks for pointing out the typo though. I'll try to be sure to proofread my next chapters better :) Hugs for reviewing!

**Millennium Spatula: **Intrigue you, did I? I hope I will continue doing that! Thank you for the review!

**Avalion: **Wow, my longest review so far! I'm hoping that this could become like a... what-happened-in-Lemuria-afterwards-thingy, so I hope it makes sense. It's going to be a lot FelixPiers, but if you're open minded you could always concentrate on the plot and decide if you like them as a pair afterwards or something. I just hope that it doesn't scare you off. Thanks for the wonderful review!

**Uniswift87: **Ah, continue soon... I guess I failed you, didn't I? I'm sorry :( I hope I can appease you with this chapter! Thank you for hugging poor Piers for me!

**Disclaimer:** Wow...after a while, these gets so boring to write. I don't own Golden Sun, nor do I own it's cahacters. You think I'd be here writing this stuff if I did? Exactly.

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He was floating somewhere in between consciousness and oblivion, feeling immensely at peace. It was silent, so very silent around him. His body was so light that he felt like he probably would be able to fly if he wanted to, soar above the pain and worries that awaited him on the other side of the light, on the side of consciousness. He didn't _want_ to wake up and be in pain again and realize what he must do. He was so tired. Sleep sounded good, but to sleep he had to know if he already was awake, and he didn't. He really didn't know what this was. It just _was_. Maybe he should give in to the darkness that lingered somewhere behind him, lurking there to get a chance to swallow him completely. Maybe?

But no, something told him to stay where he was, something that sounded like a voice he knew. He felt his heart ache at the sound of the voice. _He should know who that was. _

"…your eyes…"

Huh? His eyes? What about them? He frowned as he tried to hear the voice again in the stillness. Why couldn't he just sleep?

"Open your eyes…"

They were open. He knew they were. And all he wanted to do was to close them…suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen and he gasped for air. It felt like he couldn't breathe, the air never came rushing down his lungs. _'It hurts!'_

"Open your eyes Piers!"

They were open! Why did he have to make the pain come back?! But he couldn't bring himself to ignore the voice; instead he clung to it, as if it was his lifeline. All of a sudden, gravity hit him and he fell down from heaven, towards the bright white light that blinded him and made him close his eyes. He felt so heavy! It was excruciating just to breathe with the amount of pressure on his chest.

"Piers, open your eyes!"

And he did. And he wasn't in the void anymore. Instead, something very blurry and brown hovered over him, just inches from his face. He squeaked and tried to move away but his body felt like lead and his stomach as if it was on fire. He opted for closing his eyes again, whishing he didn't feel so disoriented. His head pounded for every shaky breath he took.

Something moved beside him, and whatever it was that he was lying on, tilted slightly to the side. Terrified of falling and make the pain worse, his eyes flew open and he grabbed at thin air to find something to hold on to. Something warm tangled between his finders, clasping his outstretched hand in a tender but firm grip.

"It's okay. I'm right here."The voice said, this time closer to his ear and he felt warm breath blowing on his ear and cheek. He knew that voice, and he closed his hand tighter around what felt like another hand.

Unable to focus on anything specific, much less make the world stop spinning, he tried to talk. "Felix? Is tha-that you?" His voice was hoarse, he realized, but it'd do for now. It had to be Felix. He hoped.

He tried to rise from his lying position to get a better view, but found that he was incapable of doing so since his stomach protested against his every move. He didn't _really_ want to get up though…he was warm and despite his current predicament, he felt oddly at home.

The voice chuckled, the hand clasping his moving ever so slightly. "You stupid Lemurian…of course it's me. You're such a hassle…" The words were said with no actual malice; instead they were light and joking. "You've gotten into quite a mess, if I understand the situation correctly. Which I'm not sure I do."

Piers sighted and blinked a couple of times to clear his vision. "So I got here alive…I actually didn't count on it. What day is it?" He saw Felix clearer now. He looked tired and worried, and something else played there, in the depths of his dark eyes, something that the Lemurian couldn't decipher. His hand was released from the comforting grip, and his first reaction was that he missed the warmth, but he pushed such thoughts back. He was alive, and so was Felix. For now, that's all that mattered.

"It's Sunday morning. You've been sleeping a whole day. Mia got very worried about you for a while." _'Not to mention me.'_ The Venus Adept didn't voice his thought; instead he reached over to the oak nightstand and picked up a wet towel. "How do you feel?"

Felix placed the cool cloth on Piers forehead, and the slight moisture and chill made him moan in response. "That feels sooooo good…" He absentmindedly thought of how embarrassing that display just had been, but he was too agonizingly tired and sore all over, that he let it slide. "To be honest, I feel like crap. My head hurts, my stomach hurts and it hurts just to look at your sour face this early in the morning." A quiet laughter erupted from the usually stoic man at his bedside, making Piers smile and remember that this was what he'd missed, this was what he'd lacked in Lemuria.

Calming down a bit, Felix smiled fondly down at the still sick Lemurian. He had his wit back, that was for sure. A good sign if any. "Hm, then I'll just hurt you a bit more, since Mia gave orders to never leave you unattended. She'll drop by with the rest of the worried group of misfits we've assembled over the years sometime later this afternoon. Suck it up and bear with my sour face for now." He was curious about everything that'd happened to the Water Adept, but he decided to skip the interrogation until everyone else came over. For now, he'd be content just to sit on his bed, watching over Piers and stock up on the good feeling he always got when the Mercury Adept was around.

"The rest of them? I know Mia married Isaac and that Jenna probably caught Garet in a relationship, but didn't Sheba go back to Lalivero? And I thought Ivan went to see his sister again?" Piers frowned. If he calculated the time correctly (which he wasn't sure he did, since his brain felt like it'd melted into a puddle of goo) he'd been gone for three years, give or take a few months. How much had changed since he was gone?

As always, Felix really wasn't the talkative type and Piers had to ask for details whenever the story became too vague. But it was fine, after all, that was how Felix had been during their long journey too so Piers was quite experienced in having to pull everything out of the broody Venus Adept. The story, if he understood it correctly had begun just after his departure.

"Sheba did return to Lalivero and she's been there since you left, but she's been traveling back and forth to New Vale occasionally, mostly just to see Jenna and Kraden. Ivan also went away, to go back to Contigo. He lived with his sister for two years, training apparently, and then he came back here. He currently works at the inn." Felix explained in short terms, letting the news sink in before he picked up where he left off. "The reason Sheba's here right now, is because Garet finally pulled his act together and proposed to my sister and they're getting married. Considering the temper of both of them, we'll be lucky if their offspring only turns _half _the village to cinder."

"…They're getting married? Why wasn't I informed?" Piers felt a little hurt, considering he was the only one in their group of eight people that didn't know that one of his friends was getting married to his other acquaintance. But considering the circumstances… realization dawned upon him. _'I haven't told him yet!'_ He lunged forward and gasped at the sudden angry flare of fire that shot up from his stomach and through his spine. "Felix! I have to tell you, Lemuria-" He was stopped by a finger on his lips.

"Don't. We'll wait for the others." Felix pressed his index finger against the slightly chapped lips, pushing Piers head back to the pillows in the process. "You have been a hard man to reach, Piers. New Vale hasn't bothered to buy or construct a boat and Lemuria isn't blessed with a teleport-pad." The Earth Adept removed his finger reluctantly, wishing secretly that he was allowed to touch _more _of the warm body.

Piers sighted. He was more tired than he wanted to let on. His stomach hurt like crazy, a smoldering pain that came in intervals and disappeared as quickly as it spiked up again, and his brain still felt like it was working in slow-motion, barely keeping up with all the new information. A bead of sweat slowly rolled down his temple, and he noticed just how hot he was. He tugged feebly at the warm blankets. "S' hot here…can't you take these off?"

"No. Mia's orders." Felix watched as Piers tried, and failed, to push the covers away. "You have a fever. Leave them, they're supposed to be good for you." He noticed the slight change in Piers breathing and the slowly closing eyelids.

Piers on the other hand, didn't want to sleep just yet. It didn't feel right, he _had _to tell them as soon as he could about the whole situation in Lemuria, and they had no time to waste. But his body felt so heavy and warm…it was just too hard to move, to think, to do anything he probably should do, and right now, he didn't think it mattered. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was nodding off.

"Piers?"

He rose briefly from his half-slumber and looked up at Felix, his citrine orbs semi-covered by his eyelids and blue eyelashes. "Mmmhm?" He didn't care that he sounded like a retard, nor did he bother to answer with a sentence, not even a word would form in his mouth.

"Why did you come to my house specifically?" Felix hoped that in this state, the Lemurian wouldn't try to brush it off or avoid the truth. He had to know if it was a conscious choice to come to _his_ house, instead of someone else's.

Piers didn't want to answer truthfully, but his brain was shutting down and his mouth didn't work as well as he would have wanted it to do. "I dunno'…I don't know anyone else…in New Vale." He heard himself say and he absentmindedly noticed that his own voice sounded like it was far away, like heard from the end of a long tunnel.

"That's not true. You know Isaac and Mia, Jenna and Garet lives here too."

He scrunched his nose. It was getting harder and harder to think through his answers. "I…I don't know…where they live." A huge yawn cut his mumbling off.

"You helped us rebuild this town Piers, you know where they live." Felix felt horrible for using Piers condition as leverage to get to the truth.

"…'m safe…" He was teetering on the edge of the abyss now, sleep sang with its siren song, luring his eyes to stay closed and his mouth to automatically answer the questions best it could.

Felix leaned closer to the bead. "I didn't catch that."

"I feel…safe…here. With you." No lies this time, Piers was completely honest, and he couldn't sum up the energy it took to actually care. He fell asleep two seconds after his accidental confession.

Felix sat up straighter in the chair. _'He feels safe…with me? He chose me over everyone else, even as he knew that Isaac and Mia lives far closer to the town gate then me. Even in danger he chose …me.' _He didn't know why he felt a faint stirring of pride and joy in his chest, but it felt good and as he watched the Lemurian sleep peacefully, he hoped that he could make the other feel like this sometime too. _'Is it possible for him to feel something more? I don't even know what _I_ feel myself anymore… it's confusing. He's confusing.'_

These kinds of thoughts occupied his mind for the rest of the morning. He sat there waiting for the others to arrive, not moving an inch as the sun slowly climbed higher on the clear azure sky.

* * *

God, this was an uneventful chapter... even I think so... but this is my way of doing things I suppose. At least you got some explanation about Jenna, Sheba and all the others. I hope you will review anyway, just to please a starving writer. Thanks for reading!


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